What is Pope Francis: A Man of His Word documentary all about?

A documentary titled Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Pope Francis was no stranger to the cameras, but he was also famously the only pope to have appeared on the big screen.

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word follows Pope Francis in his attempt to spread his word about peace in the world. Besides the late Pope discussing various topics while looking directly at the camera, the documentary also features footage from his speeches and visits to prisons and hospitals.

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Wim Wenders opened up about the making of Pope Francis: A Man of His Word

Throughout his career of more than five decades, Wim Wenders has worked with legends like Mel Gibson and Alicia Vikander. Besides being nominated for four Academy Awards, he has also won a BAFTA and a Grammy.

Wenders' popularity saw new heights when he made the documentary Pope Francis: A Man of His Word. According to an article published by the BBC on August 7, 2018, the German filmmaker spent four afternoons at the Vatican interviewing the late Pope.

Speaking of his experience of interviewing the Pope, Wenders told the BBC:

"The Pope has the same presence as some of the greatest movie stars I've worked with. But it comes from inside, from his convictions and his faith, and from his desire to talk to all of us. He doesn't have it because he's full of himself. He's incredibly modest - a real, humble man. It's not an act; he's not an actor."

Wenders also stated that he believed the Pope was not familiar with movies. The Paris, Texas director further said that the first thing the Pope told him was that he had never seen any of his films, although he had heard good things about him.

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Wim Wenders on how Pope Francis did not hesitate to discuss any topic in Pope Francis: A Man of His Word

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the head of the Catholic Church from March 2013 until his passing at the age of 88. He advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality and criticized capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment.

In his interview with the BBC, Wenders stated that no topics were off-limits for the Pope. He said:

"He talked about paedophilia without hesitation, and that was when he was at his angriest. We really felt the fury in him - that he would like to do so much more but he's only one man."

He continued:

"You don't expect the Pope to mention salaries, but he doesn't hesitate to be concrete. It takes guts to say we're destroying our planet and we're all going to go down if we don't take care of our own house."

In the documentary, the Pope also expressed his concerns about the environment and hopes for a more equal world.

On March 22, 2025, The Guardian notably reported that Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital in February and diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia.

Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025. Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the pope's death in a broadcast by Vatican Media. The cause of his death is unknown as of this writing.

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Pope Francis: A Man of His Word is available to buy and rent on Apple TV+.